Secrets of the Heart
by LadyRen5
Summary: Naruto and Sakura go on a picnic/date. Unexpectedly, Sasuke shows up and ruins Naruto's chances of ever winning Sakura's heart. Takes place after the time skip. NaruSakuSasu
1. Anticipation

discLAiMEr: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

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**Secrets of the Heart**

Chapter One: Anticipation

Naruto Uzumaki was very excited. Maybe too excited for his own good. He convinced Sakura Haruno to go on a picnic with him, secretly leaving Sai behind. Sakura considered it a picnic. Naruto considered it a date.

_Me and Sakura, all by ourselves, with no distractions, _was all Naruto could think about. He couldn't help but giggle under his breath as they forged their way into the forest. He led the way, carrying a basket, while Sakura carried a plaid blanket to sit on.

"Naruto," Sakura said annoyed. "Where is this clearing you were talking about? It seems we've been walking forever."

Again, Naruto thought of the distance away from the village and giggled under his breath. He composed himself to answer. "It's just up ahead, Sakura."

Naruto turned his head and flashed her a smile.

_What are you up to?_ Sakura thought. But she remained silent and let him lead the way.

A few feet ahead, Naruto pulled down a tree branch. "Here it is."

Sakura wasn't expecting much. She walked up beside him to look and gasped. It was the most beautiful place she'd ever seen. Water was gushing down from a waterfall in the distance. It ran into a river that headed west. Right in front, was a clearing with dark green grass, wildflowers, and a few shade trees.

"Naruto," Sakura said in disbelief. "How? When?"

"Oh, I found it a long time ago," said Naruto, as they walked into the clearing. "I come here when I have a lot on my mind."

Sakura couldn't stop staring at her surroundings. A small gust of wind picked up her pink hair and swirled it around her face. She smiled at Naruto. "It's so beautiful."

Naruto's blue eyes were locked on Sakura. "Yes, beautiful."

Sakura blushed, feeling a little uncomfortable. She still considered Naruto a friend. Though, she couldn't deny the bond between them had grown much stronger. She remembered Yamato saying that she had strong feelings for him. He almost said that she loved Naruto. Well, she did love him. Though, even she was unsure what kind of love she felt. She couldn't imagine living without him. She couldn't stand the thought of Naruto ever being hurt or in pain. She did love him that much.

Yet, there was someone else that still held her heart. But she didn't want to think about him. It was too painful and she didn't want to ruin this special time with Naruto.

Suddenly, Naruto's stomach growled very loudly. He tore his gaze away from Sakura to stare down at it, embarrassed.

Sakura was glad for the distraction. She spread the blanket out and they both sat down on it cross-legged.

"So, what did you bring?" Sakura eyed the basket Naruto set down in-between them. Naruto said he would bring the food if she brought the blanket.

Naruto smiled and opened the basket. "I must admit, I cheated."

Sakura gave him a confused look.

"Well, I'm not much of a cook, so I bought some ramen from Ichiraku's shop."

Naruto pulled out the boxes and some chopsticks. Sakura giggled and took her share. They began munching silently on the ramen, listening to the waterfall and the birds chirping in the trees nearby.

Sakura noticed, every chance Naruto got, he was staring at her. She felt self-conscious about slurping her noodles and set the box down.

Naruto panicked. "Sakura, did you not like your ramen? I should have gotten something else."

"No, Naruto. I'm not that hungry. I ate a late breakfast." Sakura felt there was more to this picnic than she bargained for. The way Naruto was staring at her made her feel uneasy. She didn't want to lead him on. She thought it best to cut things short. "Are you ready to go back now?"

Naruto look defeated. He dropped his chopsticks into his box. Sakura instantly felt bad. She didn't want to break his heart. It seemed she crushed it all the time.

"Why, Sakura?"

"I told you why."

"No. Why won't you let me in?" Naruto looked up at her, pain in his eyes.

Sakura looked away. "Naruto, I don't know what you mean."

"Did you ever consider, you and me…"

"No," Sakura said too quickly, and snapped her head around to look at him. Naruto flinched. She wished she could have taken it back. "I don't want to hurt you, Naruto. I do care for you. I appreciate everything you've done for me. Please know that. It's just…"

"It's just him." Naruto didn't have to say his name. They both knew whom he was talking about. "He'll never care about you the way I do. And I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm still here and he's not."

This time Naruto wished he could have taken his words back when he saw tears welling up in Sakura's eyes. He couldn't forget that he was on a mission to bring Sasuke back, no matter what the price. "I'm sorry, Sakura. I know you miss Sasuke. I just wish things were different... in more ways than one."

The tears flowed down Sakura's face. Every time she wiped one away, another would trickle down. She felt embarrassed in front of Naruto; weak even. She didn't want to know what he thought of her, so she guessed out loud. "I'm pathetic, I know. Just the mere mention of him destroys me. I'm so stupid."

Naruto shook his head and leaned forward to wipe a rogue tear from her cheek. "Sakura, I didn't mean to hurt you. Please forgive me."

Sakura looked into Naruto's sincere blue eyes. He had grown up so much, physically anyway. But there were times like now that he seemed very caring and mature. She reached up and touched his hand on her cheek. Naruto froze.

"He didn't just leave me," said Sakura, finally regaining control of herself. "He left you too. No matter how hard we tried, he turned his back on us. He'll never realize how much hurt he caused."

"He was such a fool to leave you, Sakura," Naruto said honestly. "Believe me, I know what it's like to feel lonely. I wish I could take it away from you. I wish I could make you forget."

Naruto leaned closer to Sakura. To his surpise, she didn't back away. Sakura still held his hand to her face. Naruto felt his heart beating in his ears. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Sakura closed her eyes and Naruto closed his too. He leaned in further, anticipating the feel of her lips against his own.

Suddenly, Naruto was thrown back with great force. At first, he thought Sakura had changed her mind and punched him. But when he opened his eyes, he realized he was pinned.

It took Naruto a second to figure out what was going on. A swirl of snakes slithered around him, binding him against a tree. He couldn't move his body at all. He knew immediately who had done this. He struggled to look over at Sakura, who was also pinned against a tree beside him; not by snakes, but by Sasuke.


	2. Affects

**Secrets of the Heart**

Chapter Two: Affects

"What do you think you're doing, Naruto?" Sasuke sounded irritated.

Even though he was in front of Sakura, he looked over at Naruto, just a short distance from him. His snakes protruded from his right arm, squeezing Naruto even tighter into the tree beside them.

Sakura had stopped breathing. She was looking at Sasuke with a shocked expression on her face.

Sasuke looked at her and lowered his tone. "Breathe, Sakura."

Sakura didn't even realize she was holding her breath. She felt like she was in a dream, like this wasn't real. How could Sasuke be in front of her, and virtually leaning the full weight of his body against her? She finally exhaled but was still unable to speak. She just stared at him with her mouth wide open.

Even though Naruto was finding it hard to breathe for a much different reason, he managed to chuckle. This annoyed Sasuke even more and he couldn't help but peek over at him again.

"So, this is what it takes to bring you back?" Naruto's eyes turned into red slits. He bared his teeth to Sasuke, more out of anger than pain.

"Lucky for you, I happened to be passing by this area," said Sasuke, a small smirk on his face.

"How convenient," Naruto said in his most sarcastic voice. "I thought you could care less about us."

Sasuke's mood changed and he narrowed his eyes. "I might be gone Naruto, but that doesn't mean I will allow you to take my place. We both know how she truly feels. You'd caught her in a weak moment."

Sakura's shock turned into anger. She didn't like to be talked about like she wasn't there. She tried to wiggle free, but Sasuke had her pinned against the tree so she couldn't move. "I'm not weak! I've been training under Lady Tsunade. Let go of my arms and I will show you."

Sasuke smiled at her. "Like I'm going to make it easy for you. Not that I think you could take me, even with me down one arm."

Sakura lowered her gaze, the truth hurting her more than he could ever tell.

Sasuke continued, "I just want to do something and then you will not have to look at my face for a very long time."

Sakura's eyes widened and her heart froze. All she could think about was Sasuke leaving her again. She didn't know if she could handle it. It had taken her so long to recover from the first time he left. And when he left a few months ago with Orochimaru and Kabuto, it broke her heart.

Naruto thrashed against the snakes. "No! Don't do this, Sasuke. You will only hurt her more."

"My conversation is with Sakura." Sasuke wound the snakes up higher.

Naruto managed to curse him before the snakes covered his mouth.

Sakura couldn't comprehend what was going on. She gave the rogue ninja a bewildered look. "Why are you doing this… Sasuke?"

Sasuke leaned in closer till he was mere inches from her face. "Don't you know, Sakura?"

Sakura began to tremble. She wished she could control her body. Didn't she just yell at him that she wasn't weak? She looked into his smoldering black eyes and shook her head.

"There was one thing I always regretted. One thing I didn't do before I left the first time." Sasuke looked over at Naruto, who was watching his every move with hate in his eyes. "One thing I will not allow someone else to steal from me."

Sasuke felt Naruto violently struggle under the snakes. It took all the strength he had to keep him pinned. Sasuke could tell he didn't have a lot of time, so he turned his attention back to Sakura again.

Sakura could feel the heat of his body against hers and she felt a little dizzy. She was glad Sasuke was holding her up, otherwise her knees would have went out.

"Do you remember what you told me before I left?" Sasuke looked into Sakura's green eyes.

Sakura felt a jolt run through her body. It was the most painful night of her life. How could she forget? She wished she couldn't remember any of it, but in her mind, it was like it happened yesterday.

Sakura couldn't take her gaze away from Sasuke. "I told you I loved you," she whispered.

"Do you still feel that way, Sakura?"

Sakura closed her eyes and shivered. She couldn't control the tears that slipped down her face. She turned her head to look at Naruto, whose red eyes were wide upon her. She wished he couldn't hear any of their conversation. She knew it would hurt him, and this killed her.

"Sakura?" Sasuke got her attention again, effortlessly.

Sakura could tell he demanded an answer. She couldn't deny the truth. She swallowed hard. "Yes," she whispered.

_I'm so sorry Naruto_, Sakura thought. She couldn't look over at him, deliberately focusing her attention on Sasuke. She didn't want to see the wounded look in Naruto's eyes.

Sasuke could feel Naruto go limp under the snakes. Obviously, Sakura's words had weakened him. He let his guard down a little and focused on her. Sasuke leaned in, but she didn't close her eyes like she did for Naruto. She kept them open as he inched even closer to her.

Sakura stared into Sasuke's eyes. She thought her mind was playing a cruel joke on her. She felt Sasuke's dark hair brush along her cheeks. Then, she felt the warmth of his breath on her face. Finally, her heart skipped a beat as she felt his lips press against hers.

It was warm and soft and so foreign to her. Sakura slowly closed her eyes and lost herself in the moment. Her lips instinctively opened and pressed down on his.

Sasuke held the kiss for a few more seconds. Then, he backed away abruptly, no longer touching her with any part of his body.

_No. It can't be over._ Sakura looked down feeling a great sense of loss. Without warning, a sharp pain stabbed her chest. Now free, she crossed her arms protectively over her heart. It was beating faster than it ever had before throughout her entire body. She started hyperventilating. She looked up at Sasuke, whose face was unreadable. Did it affect him as much as it did her?


	3. Team of Two

**Secrets of the Heart**

Chapter Three: Team of Two

Sasuke wouldn't let it show, but the kiss he shared with Sakura greatly affected him. At first, it was so simple, until she crushed her mouth down on his. He could only withstand it for a short amount of time. Sakura's reaction stirred up an intense desire within him that took him by surprise. Sasuke had been able to suppress his feelings well until now. It took all of his willpower to retreat from her soft willing lips.

He could tell Sakura felt the same intensity. When he pulled away, she seemed shocked and wrapped her arms across her chest. Breathing heavily, Sakura looked up at him, desperation written all over her face. She obviously wanted more. He resisted the urge to feel the same.

Sasuke quickly reflected on what had led to this. Just by coincidence, he came across Naruto and Sakura's gathering. He didn't know why he stopped to watch and listen, maybe out of sheer curiosity. But when he saw Naruto making the moves on Sakura, jealousy reared it's ugly head. He secretly always thought she would wait for him. That she would share her first kiss with him. When Sasuke saw this was not the case, he reacted without thinking.

Now that he had accomplished his goal, Sasuke uncoiled his snakes from Naruto. They slowly slithered back into his right sleeve. Naruto remained where he stood, his head hung low. Sakura slid down the tree till her knees hit the ground. She was still trying to regain control of her body.

Of all things, there was silence for a moment. The birds dared not even chirp. The only sound was the waterfall in the background.

Without warning, rumbling thunder echoed in the distance. The weather was quickly changing for the worse. It was like it sensed Naruto's mood. Dark ominous clouds rolled in, covering up the bright forgiving sun. Even the once pleasant breeze grew stronger, colder.

"How dare you." Naruto's voice was low, raspy, and full of contempt. His face still obscured, he clenched and unclenched his fists. "How dare you interfere. How dare you break her heart again. You have no right, Sasuke."

Sasuke remained silent. He stared over at Naruto, like what he said meant nothing at all to him.

Sakura slowly stood up and dropped her arms to her sides. She could hear the rage in Naruto's voice. She didn't want them to fight. The mere thought of it frightened her. She would do anything to keep it from happening, even lie. "Naruto, I'll be okay, really."

"Stop lying to yourself, Sakura!" Naruto finally raised his head up to look at her.

Sakura winced. Naruto's blood red eyes were so intense, they bore straight through her. It was like he could see into her soul.

Naruto took a few steps toward Sasuke. "Do you know how long it took for Sakura to act like herself again the first time you left? She was so depressed, I was truly scared for her. I thought she might do something to hurt herself or worse, like jump off a building."

"Naruto, please don't…" Sakura pleaded. She didn't want Sasuke to hear any of this. The truth hurt. Even she didn't want to hear it.

"He needs to know, Sakura," Naruto interrupted, but kept his glare on Sasuke. "Now you've come back to give her hope, just to crush it when you leave again."

Sakura felt like a tortured soul. It took every ounce of strength she had not to cry again. Instead, she allowed herself to feel numb.

"You should be thanking me, Naruto," Sasuke said matter-of-factly. "Now that you've seen Sakura's true feelings, I saved you from getting your heart broken."

"_Saved_ me? " Naruto repeated the word loathsomely. "Is that what you call it?"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." Sasuke's voice was cold. "You never were much for brains. Did you really think she would fall for a loser like you?"

"Stop it, Sasuke!" Sakura panicked. Was Sasuke purposely provoking a fight? She didn't think Naurto could handle such abuse for very long. He was looking more agitated by the minute. She felt helpless standing on the sideline.

"He needs to know, Sakura." Sasuke intentionally mocked Naruto's words from before. This time, Sasuke took a few steps toward Naruto. "No matter what you say, or what you do, you cannot win. I will always have her heart."

A gust of icy wind picked up, tousling everything in sight. Sakura impulsively crossed her arms, feeling the chill clear down to the bone.

Naruto couldn't feel the cold. His temper flared. "This isn't a game, Sasuke! I stopped competing with you a long time ago, when you turned your back on us and left the village. I used to think of you as a brother, but if all you are going to do is rip Sakura's heart out, then you're no brother of mine."

"Good." Sasuke smiled and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they had changed into the formidable Sharingan. "Cause I never considered you my brother. I have a brother. And I'm going to kill him… and destroy you."

Sakura hung her head. It was inevitable. They were going to battle and she couldn't stop them. Her hope faded away as she thought about losing one or both of them.

"I didn't want to have to do this..." said Naruto, though he seemed anxious, rolling up his sleeves. "...but if this is the only way... then I'll knock you out and drag you back to the Leaf village."

Sakura's head shot up, her eyes full of admiration and respect for him. _Naruto.. you still remember your promise_, she thought to herself.

She could feel her determination coming back. Sakura was done feeling useless. She wanted to aide him in any way that she could. "I'm going to help you, Naruto."

Sakura straightened her spine. Staring resolvedly at Sasuke, she raised her hands, green chakra radiating from her fists.

Naruto was proud of her. They were a team again, and together they would do everything they could to bring Sasuke home.

Sasuke seemed taken aback by Sakura's actions. He thought Naruto would be his only opponent. He changed his stance, now focusing on both of them, anticipating their first attack.


	4. Battling Comrades

**Secrets of the Heart**

Chapter Four: Battling Comrades

The three figures stood ready in the clearing, a battle about to ensue. It was two on one, but Sasuke seemed unconcerned about being outnumbered. Naruto and Sakura, on the other hand, looked very anxious. They had already failed once before to capture Sasuke. They tried not to let that deter them.

A light sprinkle of rain spilled from the sky. Naruto's anger seemed to melt. He looked more concentrated; more focused.

"Before we begin, there's something I have to do," Naruto stated. He closed his eyes.

_What's he doing? _Sasuke looked at him suspiciously.

When Naruto opened his eyes again, they were back to their former sky blue.

Naruto was taking all precautions. He recalled Jiraiya asking him not to use "that power". Naruto also remembered Yamato telling him that he hurt Sakura when he couldn't control himself as the four-tails. He was going to make sure his teammate didn't get hurt this time.

"I'm going to get you back with _my own_ power," Naruto said firmly.

"Humph." Sasuke didn't look impressed.

"We _both_ are," Sakura corrected Naruto, her fists ready.

Naruto smiled. He nodded at Sakura, giving her the signal to attack. Sakura nodded back and charged toward Sasuke, her right fist reared back, ready to punch.

"Sasuke!" she yelled. With no hesitation, Sakura covered the short distance between them.

Sasuke easily avoided the first punch. Then, the second. Sakura didn't give up, she kept punching with both of her fists. Right, left, right_. If I can just get one hit on him, maybe, just maybe…_ Sakura thought. Nevertheless, Sasuke easily dodged the attacks, watching her chakra fists pass in front of his face.

Sasuke stepped back into a thick oak tree. Sakura thought she might have him pinned. She threw another punch, but Sasuke leapt out of the way. She hit the humungous tree instead, decimating it. The tree thunderously crashed to the ground.

As Sasuke was in the air, he noticed through the raindrops two Naruto figures above him. Naruto had created a shadow clone while he was busy with Sakura. The Rasengan already completed in his palm, Naruto and his clone descended upon him.

"I've got you now!" Naruto thrust his hand down at Sasuke. "Rasengan!"

As soon as Sasuke's heel touched the ground, he disappeared. The Rasengan crashed into the earth, dispersing the clone and causing a fairly large hole in the once beautiful meadow.

Naruto forgot how fast Sasuke could move. As the dirt settled, he searched for the Uchiha. He was leaning against a small tree, looking rather bored.

"I'm done playing around," said Sasuke, his hand reaching for something behind him.

He stood straight, unsheathing the Kusanagi. Sasuke sent Chidori Current through the sword, causing it to spark and chirp with an electric charge. He pointed the long menacing blade toward Naruto.

Sakura remained a distance away. Her pink hair matted to her face from the rain. She recognized that sword. It was the one Sasuke had stabbed Captain Yamato with. Even though she felt overwhelming apprehension, she stood ready to fight.

"If that's how you want to play it," said Naruto, a scowl crossing his face. He made a hand sign. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

One hundred shadow clones of Naruto appeared. Their orange and black jumpsuits spread over one whole side of the clearing. "Attack!" the clones all yelled at once. They charged toward Sasuke, each trying to punch, grab, or kick him.

Sasuke used his Sharingan eyes, anticipating each clone's movements. He ran through the clones, slicing through them at an incredible amount of speed. They dispersed over and over again with the graceful movements of his sword.

While Sasuke was busy with the leftover clones, Naruto linked thirty of them together. Like a whip, he threw them out and wrapped them around Sasuke, pinning his arms down to his sides. "Hold him," said the clones, squeezing Sasuke. "Don't let him go."

Now that Sasuke was incapacitated, Sakura ran up and punched the ground. The earth under Sasuke's feet crumbled. With the clones still wrapped around him, he ran and jumped to the side, avoiding the ground caving in.

"Chidori Current!" Sasuke yelled. The flickering blue lightening emanated from his entire body. The enormous flow dispersed the clones that had him pinned, as well as the few remaining ones that were descending upon him. When the sparks finally faded, all the clones were destroyed.

Just like at the beginning, the only ones left were the remaining three. They stood apart, motionless. Naruto and Sakura stared at Sasuke. Sasuke stared back at both of them.

Naruto looked down, a sad smile on his face.

Sasuke noticed it immediately. "What are you smiling about?"

"I'm just remembering…" Naruto looked back up at Sasuke. "As a kid, my life had no real meaning. When we became a team, everything changed. My life had a true purpose. We went on missions together and completely relied on each other. We used to be comrades. More importantly, we used to be friends. Didn't that mean anything to you, Sasuke?"

"Naruto, you're stuck in the past," said Sasuke. "Times have changed. I have no need of friends anymore. Revenge is my only reason for living now."

Naruto gave Sasuke a frustrated look, ignoring the rain dripping off his face. "I can't believe it. You call me an idiot when you're the one who's willing to end his life on something as stupid as revenge!"

Sasuke had a cold look in his eyes. It frightened Sakura. She knew something bad was about to happen.

"Sasuke! I won't let you throw your life away!" Naruto yelled, blindly charging through the rain at him. He pulled out a kunai and threw it at Sasuke.

Sasuke merely raised his sword, deflecting it. Naruto kept running toward him, his teeth clenched.

"Naruto, don't!" Sakura yelled, running after him. She tried to stop him, but he was too far ahead.

As Naruto stormed closer, Sasuke prepared himself, his sword ready to strike.


	5. Unfailing Hope

A/N: Alas, we come to the final chapter. It's kind of sad to end it. I'm going to miss it. I hope you enjoyed this story. A big thanks to all that have faithfully read and reviewed. It means a lot to me. ~ LadyRen5

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**Secrets of the Heart**

Chapter Five: Unfailing Hope

As Naruto approached, Sasuke gripped the sword in his hand. What was Naruto thinking? He was defenseless. Did he have a death wish? It was just like Naruto to run head-long into something, even if it meant him getting hurt.

That's when Sasuke noticed it. Something normal vision wouldn't see. His Sharingan eyes however, spotted it right away, even through the rain and the water that drenched Naruto's face.

_Are those tears in his eyes?_ Sasuke asked himself, but he already knew the answer. As Naruto was running toward him, he was crying. Shedding tears for his comrade. Shedding tears for his friend that he didn't want to lose.

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the past. _Why do you go so far for me? _he'd asked Naruto. _To me, it's a bond that I've finally been able to make_, Naruto replied, a smile on his young face.

Sasuke felt a pain in his chest. When he opened his eyes again, Naruto was almost on him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, his fist reared back. Naruto tried to punch him, but Sasuke swiftly dodged it.

Instead of using his sword, Sasuke stepped forward and punched Naruto with tremendous force in the gut. Naruto let out a painful gasp and slumped onto Sasuke's fist. He remained motionless, blood trickling out from one side of his mouth. Sasuke held his fist there, supporting Naruto's limp body.

"Naruto…" Sasuke respectfully whispered his name beside his ear.

Even through the pain, Naruto smiled, hearing the reverence in Sasuke's voice.

Sasuke continued, "…take care of her for me."

Naruto's eyes widened. He knew he meant Sakura. Sasuke really did care for her too. His smile deepened.

"Chidori Stream!" Sasuke yelled, allowing the current to run through his fist, giving Naruto a powerful shock.

Naruto cried out and reared back from the jolt, the blue lightening flickering through his body. He fell backwards and landed with a thud on the ground, completely losing consciousness.

Sakura finally caught up with them and fell to the ground where Naruto laid. She checked his pulse. It was beating strong, even though he was out cold. She lifted Naruto's head and laid it on her lap, so the rain would drip off his face.

Sakura felt extremely relieved. She was so afraid that Sasuke was going to strike Naruto down. She was grateful he chose not to.

She looked up at Sasuke. The rain had completely drenched him, but he ignored it. He stood still, looking down at Naruto. Was that admiration she briefly saw on his face?

Sasuke shifted his gaze to her. Sakura couldn't look away. She lost herself in his Sharingan eyes.

Suddenly, Sakura awoke to pitch darkness. A ray of light fell down on her and she noticed her clothes were dry.

_What's going on? _she thought anxiously. Sakura looked around. She was alone. At least she thought she was alone. At that moment, Sasuke stepped out of the dark and into the light.

"Don't be afraid, Sakura," he said reassuringly. Sasuke walked up and stood in front of her, his clothes dry as well.

"Where are we?" Sakura looked hesitant. "Is this some type of genjutsu?"

"I'm in your subconscious mind," said Sasuke. Then, he hesitated. "I wanted to talk with you before I left."

Sakura couldn't help but focus on the last part. "So, you are going to leave us again."

"It's unavoidable."

"Then why did you spare Naruto? You must still care about him. You could have killed him if you wanted to."

"It would have been too easy," said Sasuke, not letting his true feelings show.

"Then what about me?" Sakura was almost afraid to ask. "Do you still care about me?"

"Sakura…" Sasuke stared at her. "… you should know the answer to that one."

Sakura could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She did know the answer. If he hadn't cared, he would have never stopped Naruto from kissing her. She smiled for the first time.

"I want you to do something." Sasuke chose his words carefully.

Sakura was curious. What on earth could she do for him? He was capable of doing almost anything on his own.

"Wait for me," said Sasuke.

Sakura was surprised, to say the least.

Sasuke almost looked vulnerable. **Almost**. "Wait for me until you can't wait any longer. And if you decide to move on, I'll understand. I won't interfere."

"Sa..suke." Sakura slowly said his name, crossing her hands over her heart. She couldn't keep from feeling like it was going to fall out of her chest.

Sasuke reached out and ran the back of his hand down Sakura's soft cheek. She slowly closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his touch. When she opened them, he was gazing at her intently.

"Goodbye, Sakura," said Sasuke, a slight smile on his face. Then he vanished in front of her eyes.

"No!" She reached out for him, but it was too late. He was gone.

Sakura felt like she was coming out of a dream. When she regained her focus, she looked for Sasuke. He wasn't there. She closed her eyes and hung her head, allowing only a few tears to fall.

Opening her eyes, she saw Naruto's head still on her lap. Sakura put all feelings aside. _I've got to find some cover, _she thought.

Sakura pulled Naruto's body into the forest. She found a large tree that provided some relief from the rain. Sakura placed his head back on her lap so she could keep an eye on him until he woke up.

A few minutes later, the rain ceased, the sun started to come out, and Naruto's eyes began to open.

He looked up at Sakura, who had a faraway look in her eyes. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

She looked down at him and smiled. "Nothing, Naruto. I'm glad you're finally awake."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Sasuke…" He read Sakura's reaction. "He's gone, isn't he?"

She briefly closed her eyes and nodded her head.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

"Don't be, Naruto." Sakura looked at him seriously. "It's not your fault."

"But still…"

"We've got to get back to the village and have you looked at," Sakura interrupted. She didn't want Naruto to go on a guilt trip. He didn't deserve to beat himself up.

Sakura helped Naruto to his feet. They made their way back toward the village, Sakura supporting him along the way. When they were almost home, Naruto spoke up.

"I'm not giving up you know."

Sakura turned her head to look at him, her forehead creased. "What do you mean, Naruto?"

"I think I might have gotten through to him this time." Naruto smiled at her. "Even if it was just a little bit… it was worth it."

Sakura couldn't help but smile back at him. Naruto kept his hope alive. It never ceased or wavered. It inspired her to hope as well.

The End


End file.
